These baked turkey & black bean taquitos are easy to make, delicious and flavourful. They're filled with lean ground turkey, black beans, and cheese. Enjoy them as an appetizer, snack or even dinner!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Turkey Farmers of Canada. All images and opinions expressed are solely my own.
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My husband bought a large package of corn tortillas and I wanted to make something different other than enchiladas and tacos.
We recently tried some taquitos from Costco that were quite delicious, so this is my lightened-up version of taquitos.
First, what is a taquito?
Taquitos are a Mexican food that consist of a small, rolled corn tortilla with a meat and cheese filling that is usually deep-fried. This version is baked and uses ground turkey flavoured with lots of spices.
Is it the same as a flauta?
Flautas (Spanish for "flute") are a larger cousin of the taquito, and are made with primarily wheat flour tortillas, although they can be made with either corn or flour tortillas.
However, many establishments use the two terms "taquito" and "flauta" interchangeably.
Ingredients you'll need
Taquitos are delicious, easy to make and contain a few simple ingredients:
- white corn tortillas: you can use white or yellow corn tortillas; and if you don't have corn tortillas, you can also make these with flour tortillas.
For the filling:
- ground turkey: I like to have a batch of ground turkey, sautéed with garlic, onions, and seasonings such as cumin, chili, garlic powder, oregano on hand at all times.
- refried black beans: you can use canned refried beans, or simply make your own with canned beans.
- shredded cheese: you can use any cheese that you like; a spicy jack or havarti would be great
How to make the turkey taquitos
These taquitos are baked, rather than deep-fried, and still have that crisp, crunchy texture.
You may have seen recipes where there are toothpicks sticking out of the tortillas to hold their shape. No need for any toothpicks here! Read on to find out how.
Make the filling:
For the refried beans:
Heat up oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add in the black beans, onions, give it a stir and use a potato masher to smash the beans.
Continue to mash until beans are the consistency of a thick mashed potato. Remove from heat. Set aside.
For the ground turkey:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
Add in diced onions, garlic and sauté until slightly softened.
Add in the ground turkey and cook until the turkey is no longer pink.
Next, add in the spices and salt and pepper.
Combine the turkey with the spices and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add in the refried beans and mix to incorporate.
Assemble:
Warm up the corn tortillas, working with 3 at a time.
Cover the stack of 3 corn tortillas with a dampened paper towel.
Microwave for 40-45 seconds, until steaming hot.
Remove the damp paper towel, add a layer of cheese to the bottom of the tortilla as well as a little at the top.
Working quickly, add about 2 tablespoon of the turkey and bean mixture to the bottom of the tortilla and roll up the tortilla tightly.
Place the rolled tortilla seam-side down on a baking sheet.
Repeat with the remainder.
Lightly spray the taquitos with oil.
Preheat oven to 400F and bake the taquitos for about 15 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Why did my tortillas rip?
Make sure you steam the tortilla until it's hot and pliable.
If the tortilla is cold, or lukewarm, it will likely crack when you go to roll it up.
Use a dampened paper towel and place it over top of the tortilla before microwaving it.
Work in small batches. I found that I was able to work with 3 tortillas at a time, before they started to lose pliability.
Can I deep fry the taquitos?
Yes, you can. Heat the oil to 350F and fry for 3-4 minutes, until all sides are crispy.
You may need to add toothpicks to secure if you decide to deep fry them.
How to store the Turkey Taquitos
The wonderful thing about these Baked Turkey & Black Bean Taquitos is that they freeze beautifully.
You can par-bake the taquitos, let them cool down and then place them into a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Bake the taquitos right from the freezer at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
How to serve them
Serve the taquitos warm with shredded lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream if you wish.
Taquitos are amazing as a game day appetizer, snack, or even as dinner (if you have more than 2!) 😉
Other recipes you may like
If you liked this recipe, you also may enjoy these:
Turkey & Cheese Puff Pastry Roll Ups
Turkey Pepperoni Cheese-Stuffed Breadsticks
Let me know if you try out this recipe -- be sure to tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Baked Turkey & Black Bean Taquitos (Rolled Tortillas)
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Refried black bean:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white onion diced
- 1 can (14 oz) black beans (or any bean that you like) rinsed and drained
Ground turkey:
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil + 1 teaspoon for spraying the taquitos
- ½ large white onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ lb ground turkey
- 1 ½ tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder omit if you don't like spicy
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 12 corn tortillas about 5-6" in diameter
- ground turkey + black bean mixture (from above)
- 2 C shredded cheese
Garnish:
- shredded lettuce
- guacamole
- pico de gallo (tomato salsa)
- sour cream
Instructions
Make the refried black bean:
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add in 1 tablespoon diced white onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until lightly softened.
- Add in the drained black beans. Reduce the heat.
- Sauté the beans with the onion for 1-2 minutes, until heated through.
- Smash the beans with the back of a spatula, or potato masher, until it reaches the consistency of refried beans. It should be thick and hold together. Remove the bean mixture from heat. Cover and set aside.
Make the ground turkey:
- Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. (You can use the same pan from making the beans).
- Add in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil.
- Next, add in the diced onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions soften, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the ground turkey and break it up with the back of wooden spoon. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until turkey is no longer pink.
- Add in the spices: 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon chili powder (if using), ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ black pepper.
- Stir and sauté the turkey mixture until aromatic, another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the reserved black bean mixture and incorporate together with the turkey. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble:
- Lightly dampen a paper towel with water.
- Place a stack of 3 corn tortillas on the plate. Cover with the damp paper towel.
- Place the tortillas into the microwave for about 40 seconds, until steaming hot.
- Working quickly, sprinkle a little cheese at the bottom and the top of the corn tortilla.
- Add about 2 tablespoon of turkey/bean filling over top of the cheese on the bottom of the tortilla -- lengthwise, leaving a little gap at the edges.
- Roll tightly and let it sit seam-side down on a baking tray.
- Repeat with the remainder.
- Lightly spray the tops with a little avocado or vegetable oil.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake the taquitos at 400°F for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp.
- Serve warm with shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo if you wish.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
Enchiladas, tortillas, tacos, quesadillas - I'm still not confident with all these names. And here we go - taquitos - a new word! We rarely make those things at home (And we never get them when eating out), but I think I should catch up. This variation looks seriously delicious!
Michelle
Yeah lots of different names, but they all taste delicious! Thanks Ben!
David @ Spiced
You know, I've never made taquitos here at home...and now I'm wondering why not. Quesadillas are our typical go-to whenever we have extra filling, but now I'm thinking I want to make taquitos. That plate looks amazingly delicious, and the filling sounds like it's right up comfort food alley!
Michelle
Quesadillas are a favourite over here too -- taquitos are like their fun cousin! 😀 Thanks David!
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys
What a fun idea to add turkey meat to taquitos! They look absolutely perfect for a fun snack or meal.
Michelle
Thanks Caleb! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine
Taquitos always go really fast at our house. Filling with turkey and baking instead of frying is a delicious and healthier option too. Bet these did not last through half time yesterday!
Michelle
These taquitos definitely flew off the table yesterday! 😀 Thanks so much!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I've never made a taquito!! I have always wanted to because I certainly enjoy eating them 😉 These look incredibly delicious!
Michelle
Thanks Katherine -- they're actually super easy and fun to make -- I'm sure the kiddos would enjoy helping you with them!